What the hell are we thinking?

While we argue over the fine points of health care legislation, one question keeps coming to mind. What the hell are we thinking?

Quick. What comes to mind when someone says “well-run health care institution”? Medicaid? Medicare? Veterans Health Administration? Okay, maybe that’s too narrow. How about “well-run government institution” period." The U.S. Postal Service? Internal Revenue Service? U.S. department of…Health and Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, EDUCATION?!” How about the U.S. Department of ANYthing?

The truth is most of us loathe dealing with the government for any reason. Whether it’s renewing your license, paying your taxes, social security, you name it and it sucks. Long lines, snotty employees, an oh yeah, nothing ever gets done right the first time. Governments, whether Federal, State and for the most part, local, are really lousy at what they do. And why? No competition. What’s the point of doing something right if at the end of the day you still get paid the same and no one fires you?

Do you know ANYONE who likes dealing with the government in any capacity other than a vendor? And even most vendors hate working with the government. The only people who like the way government operates are the governORS. And Jesus who wouldn’t? (Aside from people who can’t live with themselves screwing things up on a daily basis?)

I’ll admit, some of these statements are exaggerated. But are they so over the top they make you uncomfortable? Is your reaction that these statements are vicious lies? Doubt it. Unless you work for or with the government, your reaction to what I’ve written is probably “yeah, that’s them. Assholes.” Even people in the welfare system hate dealing with the government. But the money and benefits are too good to walk away.

Ben Franklin once said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Whenever we establish a new bureaucracy, agency, committee, service, you name it, we add to the burgeoning level and number of mediocre, crabby-ass, entitled a-holes who make a living interfering with our lives. In other words, we continue to support failure, mediocrity and inconvenience, even when we are confronted with the cost and the consequences on an almost daily basis.

So what in the HELL is anyone with any common sense thinking when they consider the government even playing a ROLE in health care reform, let alone establishing a new government bureaucracy to eventually control the second most important aspect of our existence, that being our bodies. (I’m assuming here that the soul outranks the flesh, but if you look at public education, yeah, they’re working on that too.)

Fact is, most of us do have common sense and most of us, about 54% right now, do not want the government screwing up yet one more aspect of our lives. So, what the hell are we thinking?

“When you think of well run heath care institutions what comes to mind?” Mayo. Cleveland Clinic. M.D. Anderson. Not government. Let’s quit arguing over the finer points of insanity and tell our legislators to stay out of the health care business and focus on things they do well. And if I happen to think of what those things are, I’ll put them in my next blog. Government participation in healthcare benefits no one but the people who work for and with the government. Forget the finer points of bad legislation. We don't need to read the bill. Dump the whole damn thing! It’s just common sense. And sanity.